If I had not Experienced Him
I would have been one of the most hardened non-believers if I had only been told, preached to, or simply heard about Him.
I would have been one of the finest atheists if I had not tasted, felt, seen, benefited from, and been awestruck by the sheer power of His reality.
I would certainly have been one of the finest occultists if I had not experienced and been shocked by the sheer power of the acts of Christ Jesus—long before I read them in the Bible, was told about them, or heard them from anyone.
If I had not understood it through real-life experience, I would have joined the many so-called intellectuals questioning the “stupidity” of people who offered to have their bodies burned at the stake, like William Tyndale, rather than denounce the name of Christ Jesus.
If I had not seen a bit of it in reality, I would have joined those who label the Scriptures fiction, populated by imaginary characters.
I once told myself, “Even if it is true, then the Bible must be the oldest, best, most realistic and practical collection of fictional stories in the world.”
Because you cannot ignore its practicality. Doing so would be like saying, “There is nothing like gravity in the earth’s atmosphere,” and then jumping from a high-rise building to prove it—only to discover the truth with broken jaws and twisted arms and legs.
If I had not encountered overwhelming evidence—evidence that is almost madness to try to point out or explain to another person—I would probably have ranked high among the many people around the world who oppose anything Christ Jesus.
If I had not experienced even a little of it, I would never have understood why one of the psalmists would cry out, “Come unto me, all ye that fear the LORD, and I will tell you what He has done.”
I used to wonder why he did not simply say, “Come unto me, all ye people,” but instead was so specific: “Those who fear God.”
But no more.
I understand now.
If I had not experienced it, even just a little, I would have had a front-row seat among those who question the madness, the “fakeness,” and the unbelievable nature of the Bible and the way its characters expressed themselves.
Unfortunately- or perhaps fortunately- there are simply too many reasons that make it impossible for me to take Christ Jesus for granted or not fear Him.
It is strikingly unbelievable.
It is amazing.
It will forever remain: Jesus is Savior (JIS).
I mean, Jesus is alive! It will forever remain so, at least with me, as long as He continues to lend me breath here—and beyond.
It is indeed an august day, August 5th.
Thank You for everything.
